Pups: An Adventure of Family
by Moonfiregoldeyes
Summary: This is a sequel to Family bonding. I hope you all enjoy. It's not really a romantic fic, but it does center around Sesshomaru-sama. Who knew pups could be a weakness of a taiyoukai?
1. Chapter 1

Sesshomaru did not like pups.

Not one bit

Rin had taken over his castle, along with the annoying half-breed and his miko. Along with a few dozen people rearranging his furniture, infesting his home with vile smells, and generally tearing his father's home apart for an event that he had no use for, Rin and his brother's miko found endless reasons to bother him.

'Was this color alright for the nursery?'

'Did he like the pink or the rose better?'

'Rin can't decide what chair to choose, which did he like better?'

'What about a midwife? Human or youkai? Miko or not?'

'Did he want to be in the birthing room? That wasn't how they did it with his father, and everyone else?'

Along with the horde of females that were currently using his den, were he was not allowed to be within fifty feet of because Rin didn't want him overhearing the gaggle, his younger brother was charged with keeping an eye on him.

This Sesshomaru did not need a babysitter.

Growling to himself, Sesshomaru tried to keep his patience as yet another youkai, a pheasant this time, came in with a yard of clothe for him to ok.

For lack of better words, he could give a fuck less.

His brother, annoying and not worth anything as Sesshomaru tried to read the treaty agreement for the wolf and tiger territories, sighed again as he watched the sun from his window. His mate, much to his older brother's amusement, had also banned him from the meetings. He was in charge of watching the pups.

'…_land south of the western mountains shall be of tiger territory and any…'_ Sesshomaru's concentration was broken once again by a heavy sigh and groan from his brother.

"Half-breed, do you have nowhere else to be?" Sitting the scroll of parchment back down to the dining table, for he had no former need of a second office, Sesshomaru glared at his younger sibling.

"Keh, you know the answer to that." Inuyasha grumbled.

Indeed he did. Having been charged with the handling of his pups, Inuyasha had tried to keep them entertained and out of the way. But with no childhood of his own, and very little knowledge of games or pastimes, he had made up his own little game to play.

Sniff and seek.

Designed to help the hanyou pups acquire hunting skills and distinguish between scents, Inuyasha would give them a scent and they would have to hunt it out. The miko had been very supportive in the whole endeavor, bringing forth little hollow 'eggs' of various color that could contain small samples of the scent. This time he had used his own scent and was currently hiding under his brother's own.

The reward for both elder and younger hanyou was a peaceable game that allowed the weary father a bit of rest.

Frowning, Sesshomaru tried to concentrate on his paperwork. But found guilt and melancholy weighing heavily onto his brain.

His tutors had a similar 'game' for him when he was younger than the half-breed's sons. At the age of seven, in youkai years, he had been taken into the surrounding forest and left there, with nothing but his clothes. The rules were quiet clear, get back to his father's castle and the game would end. No help would be given.

It wasn't until later did he realize that while he had had to hunt for his own food and shelter, no youkai had attacked him. His father had been in the forest with him the entire time, using his youki to hide his scent and presence, protecting him from the lower youkai that would have sought him as a meal. The idea was that he would become tougher and stronger, no longer rely on his mother's protection. When he had shown up at the castle, dirty and gaunt from hunger and no sleep, he had been moved from his mother's quarters and put into a wing of his own.

It had taken him a month to travel the week's distance that his tutors had taken him; much to the disappointment of his father, who had passed the same test in two weeks. From that point on he had not been able to please his father in any task or responsibility set before him.

When he was twenty-five, youkai years and at his prime, his brother had turned ten. Inuyasha had already been living in the wilderness on his own for two years. With nowhere to go, and no family that he knew of, the little hanyou had wandered past Sesshomaru's dwelling, left to him in the event of his father's death years prier. The guard had found him and reported back to Sesshomaru, telling the taiyoukai that a young hanyou had been found in the forest north of his home. The guard had relayed that the hanyou smelled of his father, and of himself.

Shocked and confused, unaware that his younger brother was still alive, he had departed the castle and went to find the hanyou. Unprepared for what exactly he would find, but willing to do the duty of his status of alpha.

Where Sesshomaru had barely been able to survive on scavenged meat from stronger hunters; his younger brother feasted on his own caught prey of rabbit, bloody and raw. Sesshomaru slept in hollowed places on the ground, digging to escape the chill of summer nights. Inuyasha slept in trees, oft under blankets of snow. He killed lesser youkai that attacked him, out running and hiding from opponents too strong to face himself. He learned to keep himself hidden and quiet from humans. He had no protector, and no one, but he survived by himself.

The hanyou did something that Sesshomaru himself had failed at.

Sesshomaru had followed the hanyou for over a month, unsure on how to approach the pup, if he even wanted to. What made this hanyou so special? He was a half-breed; he was supposed to be weaker; dead. But still, he thrived.

It wasn't until the hanyou's human night, on the night of the new moon, did Sesshomaru dare to make himself known to the pup.

Inuyasha had holed himself up in a cave, damp and sulfuric from the surrounding hot springs hiding the pup's scent. Using his waning hanyou strength, he had carried debris to the mouth of the cave and had hidden himself behind them.

He had changed before he could make it back to the cave. Watching his brother's hair darken, the ears melt into a human's, and his eyes darken to the silken velvet had been overwhelming. The weakness of his brother's youki after his change had triggered his own, his instincts to protect his pack, now a pathetic human pup, overwhelmed his mind. Walking to the edge of the cave, and finding the small entrance that his brother had left for himself, Sesshomaru knelt down to look into the cave.

His brother, clothed in dirty human cloths and shivering from the thinness of the cloth, huddled in a corner. Unable to start a fire, he was cold, blind, and helpless. He had no way off knowing the potential danger that crouched at the entrance of his shelter, had no way of protecting himself if something attacked.

His tutors had long ago beaten the emotions from his beings. They were for the weak and humans. No good would come from them. He was made into the perfect killing being that his name proclaimed, a leader that would show no mercy in his enemies. But looking at his younger brother, he felt the stirrings of…something. Something he had never had before.

He did not want to frighten the boy, but his instincts demanded that he wait no longer. Brushing the cover aside as if it were a reed mat, Sesshomaru entered the small cave, ignoring the frightened cry of his brother. He looked down at the quivering ball, unsure of what to say or how to start the conversation.

"Well? Aren't ya gonna kill me?" His brother stuttered, trying to sound brave even as his scent swam with fear. Attempting to stand, his legs seized up with cold and fright, leaving him on his knees. Undaunted, he glared up at Sesshomaru, his eyes holding the finality of a man at the executioner's block. He knew that he could not fight the older youkai, and in his current form he could not run.

Aghast at the hanyou's insolence, the young taiyoukai could do nothing but stare at the young human. He would have not had the audacity to talk back to his attacker. Granted he had never really been in the situation, he had been raised to show respect to his betters. Why didn't the hanyou know that?

Because he hadn't been raised. He had survived to this age, but the human mother that had watched over him had known nothing of youkai. The best she could pass on was the only rule that stuck: hide and never let any one catch you.

Blinking, realizing that he had been openly staring at the pup, Sesshomaru said the first thing to pop into his mind. "What is your name?" His father hadn't told him, dieing before his human mate had been able to name the pup.

Shock over came the stubborn expression, and then melted into the scowl that he would hold onto for years to come. "Feh, why do you want to know bastard?"

Chuckling despite himself, Sesshomaru looked to the downed cover, thinking. The human would not be able to survive long without the windbreak, and in the cave it was bone chilling from damp and chill. Striding to the pile, he had collected a stack of branches. Breaking them in half, he threw them into the back of the cave, away from the mouth of the cave and closer to one of the underground hot springs his brother couldn't sense. Lashing out with his energy whip, he concentrated on more heat then poison, lighting the brush with a flick of his wrist.

Picking the struggling boy up with one hand to the nap of his neck, he carried the boy to the fire, impressed at the young boy's crass but range of vocabulary.

Genuine fear flared through his brother, and he stopped threatening and insulting to scream in terror. Thrashing violently, he scrapped at Sesshomaru's wrists with feeble nails, kicked him in the waist and legs, catching a glancing blow. "NO! NO NO NO!"

He started to pant, hyperventilating. He turned red, and his blows, how ever weak they had been, grew still. Tears began pouring from his eyes, and Sesshomaru didn't understand why his younger sibling was acting this way to warmth. Didn't he understand that he was trying to help?

"Enough hanyou." He snapped, shaking the pup once before dropping him in a heap beside the fire. "Calm yourself. This Sesshomaru would not harm one as weak as you."

Ignoring him, or unable to hear the words, the human dragged himself away, huddling next to the wall. The salt of his tears began to bother the taiyoukai, unsure of why. Grunting, he grabbed the boy up again and dropped him by the fire. "Do you wish to freeze hanyou?" He snarled at him in Inu, telling him to submit to his elder, to his alpha.

Either unable to fight the welcome warmth, or too weak to crawl away again, Inuyasha had slumped to the floor, continuing to eye the fire in cautionary terror.

Pleased he would not move, Sesshomaru approached the opening. Only a few inches above his head, the cave ceiling swooped down to open into a small mouth. Exiting into the falling snow, cursing the fact the weather could not be warmer if for his brother's sake, he felled two trees in quick secession. Chunking them into pieces that fit the mouth of the cave, he grabbed the remainder to carry into the cave, placing it into a pile beside the small blaze. Blocking the entrance, he left into the night, intent of finding something to feed his starving ward. He had not seen the pup catch anything for a week or so, and knew that with his human body he would need the energy.

Carrying the brace of rabbits back to the cave, he spit them on the fire and resealed the cave mouth. Already the fire had warmed the cave and his breath had stopped appearing as fog.

Watching the meat cook, he knew that when dawn came he would have to convince the frightened pup to accompany him back to the castle. He had been gone for too long, and while his advisors where trustworthy and knew more about the runnings of the land then he did, he didn't want to tempt another youkai to think they could take his power.

The hanyou would have tutors, he would become a part of his pack and with that he didn't want the hanyou acting as an uncouth heathen. He would learn to read, to speak in acceptable form, and endless lessons that Sesshomaru had himself once had drilled into him.

Unsure how long to cook the meat to acceptable terms, he nudged the hanyou with a finger. "Hanyou, take the meat when it is to your tastes."

Confusion was rampant in his scent, and Sesshomaru was sure that the tremors that shook the small body were from the fear, not cold. But before the offer could be retracted, he snatched one of the sticks, unbothered by the sizzle of his own flesh on the hot wood as he grabbed near the meat. Retreating to a corner, he ripped into the flesh, a stream of blood dribbling down his chin as the uncooked rabbit gave way.

Acting without thought, Sesshomaru grabbed the stick back, slapping the stick back into the fire. Grabbing the pup's hands, he turned them over. "Fool, your skin is not as thick."

"So? It'll heal by morning! And why do you care? I'm just a filthy little hanyou?" His velvet eyes darted from Sesshomaru's gold one's to the meat still cooking on the fire. A grumble from his stomach startled the owner, and he hunkered down further. "Give it back." He snarled without heat, staring down at the rock at his feet.

"When it is done, and cooled. A few more minutes will not hurt you." Deciding that the skin on the hanyou's palm was not as severe as he had thought, he straightened his fingers. "Keep them straight hanyou, and it will heal fine."

"My name isn't hanyou!" He snapped, and then whimpered in submission when he realized who had snapped at. He didn't apologize, but he didn't say anything else.

"Then what is it?"

The hanyou pup looked up at him, blinking slowly. Hunkering his shoulders, he spoke softly. "Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha, my name is Sesshomaru; I am your elder brother."

"Brother? I have a brother?" He asked. "Mother didn't say anything about a brother."

"Hnn." Taking the rabbit back out of the fire, he tore it into pieces and dropped it into the hanyou's unharmed hand. "Eat, slowly. Your stomach is not used to cooked flesh."

…

"Oi! Bastard, you're off in la la land!" Inuyasha slammed a hand down onto the desk. "Ready to join the living?"

Looking up at the hanyou, his younger brother, Sesshomaru found himself at another loss. He had had so many plans for his younger brother, and none of them worked out. His own teachings, the one's that had wanted to pass onto his brother, had made him a coldhearted monster.

He had been afraid of the feelings that his younger sibling stirred, and had pushed him away. Pushed him to be the same as himself, and had treated him as his own father had treated him. Inuyasha did not take to book learning as Sesshomaru had, had not been as ready to roll over for his tutors. He had more beatings and punishments then Sesshomaru had ever dreamed off for lack of trying or acting out.

His brother was a warrior, a survivor made to live outside the court. Sesshomaru had been breed and raised for the life of a leader. The mismatch had caused too much pain in the hanyou, and he had run from the abuse of his brother and the court that had caused him so much heartache. He didn't understand until he had come across a small note, written in the best kanji that his brother produced. In short, he had chosen the hardship of growing up alone then growing into a mini-bastard.

He had only been twelve when he ran away.

"Inuyasha…" He murmured, "Would you like help in taking care of your pups?"

The hanyou, who had been playing with a glass flower, nearly dropped it. Setting it down before his brother found a reason to beat him, "What was that?"

Sighing, and rolling his eyes seemed too immature for the taiyoukai, so Sesshomaru refused. "I am having a pup of my own, and as you remember I did not handle to responsibility well with you. The practice would be welcome."

A thoughtful light came onto Inuyasha's face, and he scowled slightly. "No, but you raised Rin alright."

Brushing the comment aside with a flick of his wrist, he gave a scowl of his own. "Do not humor me Inuyasha, I know of my own short comings. I was not a fit guardian for you, and I passed the responsibility by as much as possible." He did not want to cause the same pain, raise the same fear and hatred in Rin, which he had caused in his own brother.

"Sesshomaru," Whatever Inuyasha was going to say ended when the door to the dining room flung itself open; three small hanyous dressed in similar firerats came through. Tackling their father, the bore him to the ground, howling in victory of finding their prey.

"Otou, how did we do?" The middle son, Daichi who had a small silver spot on the base of each ear, asked. "Isamu didn't think we'd find you."

"Keh, Otou cheated. He used Sesshomaru's scent to hide his own."

"Bad Otou!" Masaru, the youngest of the brood so far, smacked his father in the head, grinning when his victim let out a short yelp.

"Where is Jaken?" Sesshomaru asked, thinking to save his brother. Inuyasha yelped when a foot hit his stomach.

The spotted one giggled, and rolled off his father. Grabbing the taiyoukai's hand, he dragged him from the room. Tolerating the touch of his person, Sesshomaru followed the pup, sure that his retainer would be found in a precarious position. Rin had perfected the art of ditching the toad, and the abuse the youkai took was astounding.

Sure enough, the toad had been stuck in vase, butt in the air.

"See Uncle?" He wrinkled his nose as the retainer heard the voices and began demanding that the pup freed him. "He was noisy; we didn't want Otou hearing him."

"How, pray tell, did you get him in the vase pup?"

Daichi gave another giggle, and the fangs peeking out from his lips reminded Sesshomaru of his younger brother. "We told him that we stuck one of your tapestries in there." He pointed to the wall, where a tapestry was in fact missing. It was supposed to be hanging four feet above the eldest pup's head.

"Where-how…" At a loss for words, and not really wanting to know where the ugly tapestry had disappeared to, he shook his head. Instead, he released the pup's hand, uncertain why he had not let go earlier, he grabbed one of the flailing feet of the toad youkai and yanked him out. "Jaken, how is it that you fail in keeping an eye on _any_ pup that I put in your care?"

The toad made the appropriate groveling, proclaiming his unworthiness of serving him, and had his face in the floor under his feet. Daichi giggled the whole time.

He had never smiled for anyone other than Rin; even his younger brother couldn't bring one to his lips when he had lived in the castle years ago. But seeing the pup giggle and find amusement in the toad's misery, he found it hard to keep his lips free of one.

…_Five years later…_

The eldest of son's, Isamu had made more progress in the love department then the three fathers combined. Already he had an intended mate, a one hundred and fifty year sum ahead of his father in the department. This did nothing for the sympathy that he received.

"Isamu! Get your ass out of the tree right now or I'll beat your hide! Now!" Inuyasha bellowed standing with his arms crossed at the base of an oak tree, glaring into the foliage of the top.

A rustle came from the upper branches, along with a barely audibly sigh to those with demon hearing and a small chuckle. Another breathy sigh came and Inuyasha turned bright red, matching his firerat. "Goddamnit Isamu!" He snarled, leaping straight into the air to join the couple. A small yelp of surprise from the younger's companion and then another thump as Isamu and Akemi dropped from the tree.

Kissing the girl on the lips in a chaste manner, Isamu grinned at her. "See ya 'round 'Kemi." He murmured to his blushing female, before running as fast as he could in the direction of his brother, who had grabbed his father's haori, waving it like a flag. Isamu's black haori blending in with the shadows, he ran with Daichi, laughing his head off when his father took chase.

"Akemi." Her father, Miroku, sat between Kagome and Sango, holding his only son as he attempted to clean his face free of the sticky sweet sauce of lunch. "What have we told you?"

Akemi, trying to stave off the inevitable lecture she would endure for picking on her soon to be father-in-law, shrugs. "You've told me many things, I can't remember which one."

Miroku sighed, looking at his second daughter. Her twin was back at the castle, awaiting her intended to bring her out. His life had been blessed with the removal of his wind tunnel, and the four daughters his lovely wife had given him. However, sometimes he wondered which he would take at certain moments; dealing with his daughters' promiscuous behavior that Sango blamed him for or a raging demon. Sometimes it seemed like both.

"Akemi, while I appreciate your…want to spend time with your fiancé, you are not yet of age. You will wait until your 18th birthday, just like your sister has to." Miroku stated, rubbing at his son's nose with a damp cloth. "Do not get Isamu into trouble just for the sake of something to do."

"It was his idea actually; he just needed a reason to get Inuyasha in the tree." Kagome laughed, watching her favorite men race around the meadow.

Sesshomaru shook his head, unsure of why he was sitting in a grassy plane with a pack of hanyous and humans. Rin and the youngest set of twins, Saki and Wakana, were watching over the youngest pups, the miko's only daughter and youngest son and his own pup, a small hanyou girl by the name of Manami.

Manami herself was a walking contradiction to her father. Bright silver hair, dog ears crested with small ruby crescent moons, two maroon eye markings, and gold eyes, she toddled after her father every chance she got. Since hanyou and youkai pups did not stay vulnerable for any length of time least they become a target, the pup began walking within the first six months, gaining on her older cousin easily. She had been the smallest of the pack hanyou pups, but fast proved the hardiest and smartest. The daughter of a taiyoukai and herself one, she proved to her father that she had the spirit to rule along with her mother's happy smile.

Unwilling to listen to her sometimes nanny Jaken, she would howl and bite if he tried to give her an order or boundary, Sesshomaru had to watch over the unruly pup to give his weary mate a rest.

Attempts at work of any kind became futile. Yes his daughter was smart, but she was also very lonely. She hated to be left alone for long, and even if she could see her father she must be spoken to and given her own attention. He was at his ropes end when the pup began to escape her area of play to pull herself up at the desk, sending his papers to the floor. This became a source of amusement to Manami, realizing her father had to get at her level to collect his papers before Manami reduced them to shreds.

Rin brought up the idea of having playmates at the castle, pups her own age to entertain her. However, the only youkai even close to her age where centuries out of the 'playing' stage and had moved into the strict mindset resulting from years of court lessons. Until his daughter became ten, an age set by Rin who did not want her daughter's childhood to end any sooner then it had to, his own method of childhood was out of the question. He didn't want his daughter raised by tutors and strings of nannies and caregivers anymore than his mate.

But who could keep his pup occupied long enough to finish a treaty or two? The other youkai lords would only give him so much leeway, sympathetic to the plights of offspring of their own experience.

His brother proved the answer, as he had proved himself before.

His mate and the slayer had appeared at the gate, requesting that they could speak with Rin about 'women' things. In hand they had two pups and the miko had been pregnant again.

Manami had welcomed the human and hanyou pup with ease, showing them about her father's office with enthusiasm and teaching them her favorite games. As he chased the two males and daughter about his office, praying the scroll would survive and cursing Jaken with a tongue even his brother would blush at, he came upon an idea.

His brother and his pack had plenty of pups, and by the looks of it they were welcomed by his daughter. _They_ would entertain his daughter while he got some work done. _They _could be herded somewhere else and Manami would not feel neglected or forgotten. Or so he hoped.

Convincing his brother was the hardest part. His miko and pack saw the advantages of living in a taiyoukai's castle. Protection, teachings, and a vast space to raise the pups proved Inuyasha's downfall. In two weeks time his castle became a nursery.

He found that ten pups of various ages got along all to well. They came together in age groups, the elders using the youngers as decoys so they could reek havoc and get out of lessons. Hormones nearly destroyed his castle when four of them hit adolescence in a two year span. His brother and human pack mate could not keep their eldest pups in line to save their necks. Sesshomaru's head guard, a male hawk youkai who was the youngest of his flock, became smitten with the eldest daughter of the monks. From the beginning he followed the pup around, becoming guardian, friend, and eventual intended to the girl.

Age did not matter much to youkai, since at maturity they for all purposes froze in time, aging a year or two for centuries. It was not uncommon for mates to come together even if one still stood in childhood. Youkai could recognize their mates at any age from a glance or scent. It was how he himself had found his mate, a waif of a human that would not leave him alone.

The monk and slayer had reacted better than most, coming in agreement with Kagejiro and Sesshomaru. Kagejiro could take his mate if and only if the girl agreed, and the mating would be made official at her eighteenth year. If Mao declined, Kagejiro could not suffer any ill will to the humans, and would step aside for the girl's choice.

These conditions became useless when Mao agreed wholeheartedly with the hawk. In fact she tried to change the agreement to an earlier date. A chaperon was given to the girl, even if Kagejiro's honor would not allow him to break agreement. Kagejiro was himself a teenager, only two centuries old in his maturity.

His brother's eldest, Isamu, attached himself to Akemi, Mao's sister and twin. Much like Isamu's father and mother, they fought constantly but could not be parted. Where one went the other would follow. Whether it be to lessons, adventures, or escapades that their parents would scold them for, the foursome became led by Isamu. Sesshomaru would tease his brother, another trait he picked up from his extended pack, about the small pack. Akemi would have the brains, and Isamu and Kagejiro would often try to stop them, though Isamu more than not would end up smack dab in the middle, having fallen prey to the pleading eyes of his intended.

A yank to his hair, a rather forceful attempt to awaken her father, and he found himself nose to flower as Manami found herself bored. Like her mother, she felt the need to decorate her surroundings, wither it be person or furniture, with her 'pretties.' Flowers, paints, and once even his expensive color ink, where weapons of choice. To sleep without knowing where Manami was and what exactly she would be doing for the foreseeable future was an invitation that she did not pass up. Silver hair had been dyed pink once, a horror that Sesshomaru did not allow leniency to his daughter and her cohorts on.

Bending his head to allow her the privilege of placing it into his hair, weaving it about the stem to insure maximum security, he listened to his daughter's happy chatter. Or so, at least, he thought.

"Father, Masaru gone. He followed sparkly again." Apparently nodding was _not_ the response she wanted, knowing that her father was not truly listening to her; she grabbed hold of an ear and tried again. "Father!"

"Release your father at once!" He barked, or rather tried to as he fought the vise grip the pup had adopted. "Manami, that is sensitive!"

"Not listening. Masaru gone!" She demanded back, pulling to shove his head in the direction her playmate had left in. "Bad Masaru."

Snapping his head towards his mate and other females, he found that not only did they not notice his daughter had ventured off, but a certain eleven year old was indeed gone. Casting about with his nose, he couldn't sense him within the area, and the earliest scent mark was at least ten minutes old. In ten minutes the trouble maker could have been anywhere.

Picking up his daughter, he started for the gaggle of women, furious that they had let two little one's out of their eye line. "Rin." He dropped his daughter into her arms, carefully not to jostle the girl. "Masaru is gone."

Panic was an understatement. Females began shouting at mates and sons, causing his brother to curse and shout at any tree that would listen. Did they really need him to tell them how to react to this problem?

Yes, yes they did.

"ENOUGH!" His voice thundered, and he waited patiently until he was sure he had their attention. "Inuyasha, go north. Isamu, west, and Daichi east. Howl if you find anything. Miroku, stay with the females and pups. This Sesshomaru will go south." Turning on his heel, he ran to the forest, hearing his pack respond to his orders.

Masaru was just as bad as his daughter, if not more so. He had no head for caution or warnings, going where he wanted when he wanted. He tormented the Watchers, a particularly vicious breed of youkai that guarded his walls, stuck his nose into places it did not belong, and generally ran his parents ragged. 'No' was the go ahead he sought to find trouble. With Masaru old enough to reach, grab, and lift any obstacle put in place, he had escaped the castle walls more than once. The miko had even gone so far as to put prayer beads on his neck, a tracking device and temporary barrier. Not that anyone had tested it.

Sesshomaru stopped, resting at the top of a tree for a better vantage point. Turning his head, he frowned. Why was Kagejiro in his first form? The hawk was not old enough or strong enough to carry his intended, so to carry Mao was out of the question. The only time he shifted, supposedly, was when he was attacked or found a rouge youkai attacking someone under his protection…

The bottom dropped out of Sesshomaru's stomach as a piercing scream of a child's fear and pain rent the air. The following bellow of a mature bear youkai, a male by the sounds of it, did nothing to ease his panic. A hawk's cry of battle made his feet move, clearing the air for a human female scream of panic.

No, the three would be ok. Nothing would happen to pup or pack while they were on his lands. The smell of youkai blood belonged to the bear, not to his nephew…

Upon reaching a clearing, cut in half by a large creek too small to be called a river, he found the battle zone. His nephew was huddled behind the female, holding a useless arm to his chest as he cried. The female smelled of hanyou blood and tears, protecting the pup as her intended fought to protect them both.

Sesshomaru felt a burst of relief, no matter how short lived; break through the fear and terror that had griped him. The hawk youkai was not head guard for nothing. But watching him, he found that the bear had him at a disadvantage. The hawk had a limited space to maneuver, keeping his enemy as far away from his mate and the pup without turning his back to the bear proved to take away whatever edge he might have held if he had chanced upon the bear alone.

A hawk youkai hovered over the creek, slashing blade sharp talons through the air to tear into brown fur. His twenty foot wing span crumbled the surrounding brush, knocking against the tops of trees as he darted around the youkai's head. Silver eyes sparkled in cold calculation as he ripped his hooked beak into flesh, casting ribbons of crimson into the air. One wing had several pin feathers torn from it, causing the hawk to flounder heavily to the left. Patches of gold were ripped away from his back, revealing the bronze skin beneath. A scaled foot was held curled to his stomach.

The land bound youkai was in worse condition. Almost all of Kagejiro's attacks had landed, brown fur dripped blood onto the forest floor. But its lumbering mass, several times larger than its mortal cousins, allowed it to stand on its feet after taking a few dozen blows. Standing on its back feet, swinging its paws with less than accurate precision, it splattered blood everywhere as it jumped at the hawk. But still, it connected with one crushing blow to the left wing, reducing it to an appendage of broken bones and crumpled feathers.

Kagejiro was able to control his fall to an extent, landing in front of the injured pup and human. Intent on protecting his intended mate, he pushed himself up, still in his hawk form, to put himself between the raging youkai and the two. Keeping his injured wing to the two, he draped the other one to the ground to form a golden screen. Panting in pain and exhaustion, he gave a raspy caw of fury. He did not yet realize that help had arrived.

Neither had the bear.

Sesshomaru did not feel the change until it was finished. One moment he stood at the edge of the glade, beside the creek. The next he had his teeth into thick fur and flesh. Snarling in rage, he shook his head from side to side, enjoying the burning spurts of iron and tangy salt that flowed down his throat. The raging barks from the bear sank into choking coughs that melted into nothing but raspy breaths.

He played with the bear, allowing it to crawl to its feet before batting it with a paw, sending it through trees and boulders to the other side of the creek. He landed beside it to start again, giving laughing barks as it grunted in pain and fear. Again he picked up with his mouth, shaking it like a rag doll.

He wanted the thing ripped to tiny cubes of meat. Into a soup of blood.

Silver fur matted with blood, and he didn't care. Claws and teeth snapped at his skin, raking into his flesh to cause blood to flow into the open air. He didn't care. Poison dropped to the ground in thick droplets, melting the stone and earth with his saliva. Miasma clung like fog to the meadow, wilting plant life. He didn't care a bit.

He wanted the threat to his pack dead.

He wanted the one that had hurt his nephew pup dead. The one who hurt his little female packling dead. The female's intended hurt and crippled. Dead dead dead.

No more threat to his pack, to his power.

He stopped when the thing stopped bleeding. Throwing it to the ground, he snarled low. Gone, the stupid little runt gone. He wouldn't harm his pack again.

Turning slowly, he found the three cowering figures still looking at him, mutual looks and scents of fear. He stepped carefully to the injured hawk, confused on why they would be afraid of them. He was their _alpha_. He protected them. He destroyed the threat against them.

Taking another step, he gave a cautious, booming bark, followed by a yip. _'Pack, submit to alpha. Alpha protect.'_

Neither the human or hawk understood him. The hawk was barely conscious, having only the energy to stare at him. But the pup, the pup understood him. The pup smelled of his beta male, his brother. The pup, sniveling back tears and snot, cradled his injured front paw to his chest to stagger to his feet. "Uncle Sesshy." He pushed aside his female protector to run to the large dog. "My arm hurts."

Lowering himself to his front paws, he leveled one eye to the pup's body, assessing him. He could hear the pup's father approaching, the scent of damp earth and heavy rain clinging to his skin. Lying down completely, he wrapped his tail around the pup, encasing him in the warm fur. _'Still pup. Father comes.'_ He growled soothingly, trying to relax enough to shift back. He could not do anything helpful in this form. Closing his eyes, he thought about his week. Several shifts into and out of his first form was energy draining. Trembling slightly, he cracked an eye to watch the pup, which snuggled into his fur in exhaustion. Tucking him closer, he turned to watch the couple.

Kagejiro had returned to his second form, shivering and eyes wide in shock. The hawk youkai allowed his female to attend to his arm and back, ignoring the slight slash into his calf muscle that curled his leg to his torso. His dirty gold hair spiked into the air, dotted with blood and leaf litter. The avian blood that scented the air was discerning, but the amount did not warrant alarm. He would be fine in a few days or so. The female was in the best shape of the three, only a scratch or two where the youkai had dropped her to attack the bear. She had dragged Kagejiro to the creek edge, washing the blood and filth from his skin to examine the cuts beneath.

"Uncle Sesshy?"

_'Pup.'_

"Thank you."

The words shocked the taiyoukai straight from his true form into his second, leaving the pup wrapped in his mokomoko-sama. The tired pup clutched at his uncle, making whimpering sounds in his sleep.

Watching the trio, Sesshomaru waited for his brother to arrive, sure that whatever trust and acceptance he had built with the hanyou and his family would now be worth the dirt he had accused his brother of being. He had failed in one more thing concerning his brother. The only thing he could offer his brother with certainty was the safety of his lands and while he had napped in the sun his nephew had been attacked and nearly killed. If not for Kagejiro and Mao, he might have. Chancing on a bear in mating lust was luck on the little one had.

The pup's arm was bloody and ragged, having accepted the full brunt of a bear's attack. Four diagonal slashes moved across his shoulder, ending with small flecks of open flesh on his chest. The firerat had protected the pup from the worst of it, but the underdeveloped youki the pup possessed didn't empower the cloth as it did for his father and older brothers. Not broken, but out of socket, Sesshomaru had to distract the pup momentarily before he yanked it back into place. The howl of pain and outrage the little pup made, along with the instinctual attack of small claws to his face was predicted.

Sporting the tiny slash marks from his nephew, Sesshomaru bound the bleeding as best he could, aware that the miko could do better with the supplies that she had insisted she bring.

"Sesshomaru! Masaru!" Inuyasha broke the tree line close to where he had. Tetsusaiga drawn, he led his two sons Isamu and Daichi into the clearing, both wielding their own swords. Inuyasha didn't waste time in locating his pup, the long dead enemy, and his bleeding brother. "Isamu, go and fetch your mother. Daichi, go help Mao and Kagejiro." Both males nodded and did as he was told, leaving his father to deal with their uncle and brother.

Sheathing his sword, Inuyasha darted to Sesshomaru's side, taking stock of the wash of blood and various injuries. "Sess…you need to calm down before the rest get here." Speaking in a low tone, he kept his palms up and his arms held out in front of him in a gesture of unarmed peace. "Give me the pup."

Calm down? What did he mean? "Brother…" He stopped, understanding instantly. His youki still ran high, making his usual silk voice the rough growl of his youkai. Looking down at the pup in his arms, he found the purple markings much darker than he would normally have and his claws shadowed with green poison beneath the enamel. Taking deep breaths through his mouth to ease the intake of scent, he opened his grip on the pup, motioning for his father to take him.

Inuyasha swooped in, picking the pup up to examine the wound and arm, grunting when he took in the crude wrappings his alpha had made. "Keh, you need Kagome's attention." Tucking the pup under one arm, he appraised the still sitting youkai. "Do you want me to get Kagome? She might be able to do something about your chest."

"No, I am well. Take care of the pup." Sesshomaru dismissed, standing to greet his own mate.

…

_**Later that night…**_

"Masaru, do you understand now what happens when you wander off? You nearly got Kagejiro and Mao killed because of your stupidity!" Inuyasha snarled with his back to the pup. "If Sesshomaru had not been there you would have cost them their lives along with your own! Damn it Masaru, rules are in place for a damn good reason! You don't have the skills or the strength to go off on your own! Next time you might not be so lucky, what happens then? Fuck, what if it had been your mother out their trying to find your ass?" He waited for an answer.

Masaru looked to his mother, then his aunt for support. All he found was tearful stone faces. The miko had been terrified when she had came upon the meadow, seeing her brother-in-law first, the blood staining his chest and hair not all his own. After catching sight of the passed out Kagejiro, who had succumbed to the pain and loss of blood finally after realizing that Sesshomaru and the rest of the pack had arrived, she went into hysterics. Inuyasha could not soothe her, even as she patched her son up, then moving onto the hawk, she cried silent tears. She knew what had happened, what could have happened.

The rest of the pups had been sent to bed. Mao was spending the night with Kagejiro, refusing to leave his side until he healed. Akemi attached herself to Isamu, joining him in a sheltered tree in the courtyard. The monk and slayer had taken a scout team into the surrounding lands to clear the land of any lower youkai that could prove a threat to the young ones. Manami, Kiku, and Katashi were sleeping with Saki and Wakana, afraid to be left alone. The attack had terrified everyone.

Inuyasha, Kagome, Rin, and Sesshomaru had gathered in Sesshomaru's study, Masaru's punishment to be discussed.

Sniffling, but holding back his tears, the pup spoke in a whispered. "Okaa-san would have gotten hurt."

"Damn right she would have got hurt! You need to learn to think Masaru. Isamu and Daichi would have gotten torn up facing that bear, and they damn well have swords! Fuck, they know how to take care of themselves in the wild! Do you know what your uncle and I did when we were pups? We got left at the mercy of youkai and elements with no one to save our asses! We didn't have others to come and save us! I lived for years out on my own and I'll be damned if you spit in my face when I try to give you a better life than I or any other hanyou has ever had! You will listen to me boy, or I swear I'll spank you like the humans do to their pups! You think scruffing is bad? Wait 'till I put you on a fucking leash!"

"Inuyasha, join me in the hall." Taking hold of his brother's shoulder, he pushed him out of the room, ignoring the curses and threats thrown at him. Closing the door, Sesshomaru looked down at his younger brother. His anger was a mask that he wore to hide his fear.

He was afraid. He had almost lost his son today, and by a miracle Masaru had only escaped with a bloody shoulder. If it had been Manami at the mercy of a bear Sesshomaru knew he would be just as afraid. But to take that fear and anger out on a pup, no matter how deserving of punishment for his thoughtless actions, Sesshomaru could not allow his brother to destroy his relationship with the pup. He did not want Inuyasha to turn to the footsteps of their father. Both of them were better to that.

"I know you are afraid, but hurting the pup with your words will not accomplish anything other than driving him away." Sesshomaru said, holding his brother's furious gaze.

"What the fuck can I do? He doesn't damn well listen to anything else! He damn near got people killed today? Should I just let that slide?"

"No, of course not. But a punishment must fit the crime. Degrading the little one would not only hurt him but you as well. Humiliating him with human or animal punishments is not the answer."

Face downcast, Inuyasha gave a whimper. "I almost _lost_ him. If you had been any later…"

He did blame him then. No matter. Sesshomaru would not the weakness of pain show. "The failure is my own, not his. Allow him a bit of slack; he is a pup that has been sheltered from the harsh world."

Confusion made Inuyasha scowl at him, his anger momentarily forgotten. "I don't blame you Sesshomaru, any more than I blame Kagome or the girls for not watching him closer. All of us know how he is."

"If I had been alert, he wouldn't have made it out of the meadow. I would have sensed that damned bear long before it had attacked the pup or the two others. I should not have been unaware."

"Fuck that Sess, you know as well as I he wandered off, and nothing short of a good thrashing is going to get that into his head. He doesn't know how dangerous—"

"Then show him." The answer had come to Sesshomaru when Inuyasha had brought up the elder brothers' knowledge of survival. "Isamu and Daichi both had to survive as I did, granted they were both fourteen, but in this case earlier might do him good."

"You're asking me to abandon my pup into the forest with nothing? That might have worked for you and me but we were raised knowing the dangers. He goes out there he'll be dead in three days! If that!"

"Of course not. After mating season is over, which it will be in another moon or so, I will accompany him out into the forest for a moon cycle. He will have to hunt for his own food, shelter and water, but I will allow no serious harm to befall him. He is in need of a sword soon; I take it you will be going to the smith?" The idea was not a bad one, drastic and something they would have avoided before, but it would suffice.

"Yeah, he doesn't have as much control as Isamu or Daichi did." Infamous scowl in place, he crossed his arms and shoved his shoulders into the wall to think. "Do you want the sword before you leave?"

Shaking his head, Sesshomaru thought against it. "No, a normal katana will serve him well enough. When he returns you can start his training. I will allow you the time off from your duties."

Nodding in consent, Inuyasha mulled it over. "That works for then, but what about now? Who's to say he won't get in any trouble from now to then? Kagome doesn't want to, but she brought up the idea of adjust his kotodama so that he won't be able to stray further than fifty feet. I hate to take away his freedom…"

"Hnn." That was a problem. Thinking, he came up with a solution. "Kagejiro will not be able to do his duty for a week or so until he is healed. I can put another in his place, but I will be one short. Isamu is old enough to fill in, but then I will need a runner. Masaru has the energy and in need of punishment. It will work." He scratched irritably at the wrappings the miko had insisted on putting on him. "Enough of this. Return to your mate and pup so that I can take my own mate to bed."

Chuckling, Inuyasha motioned for him to go first. "Thanks Sesshomaru."

Lines drew themselves on his forehead, creasing his moon marking. "Why do you thank me?"

"For family. For a home. You saved my life when I was younger didn't you?"

"Stop growing up, you make me feel old."


	2. Pup namesAges

**Inuyasha/Kagome**

Isamu- (bravery, strength) eldest son. 17 years old.

Daichi- (large, help, earth, wisdom) second son. Has silver spots on the bases of his ears. 14 years old.

Masaru-(victory) youngest son. 11

Kiku- (chrysanthemum) youngest child, only daughter. Black fringe on her ears. 3 years old.

**Miroku/Sango**

Mao- (dance, center, cherry blossom, true) First daughter of the first set of twins. 15 years old.

Akemi- (bright, beautiful) Second daughter of the first set. 15 years old.

Saki- (blossom, hope) Third daughter. First of second set. 13 years old.

Wakana- (Harmony) Forth daughter, second of second set. 13 years old.

Katashi- (Firm, hard) Youngest child, only son.

**Sesshomaru/Rin**

Manami- (Love, affection, beautiful, sea, ocean.) 4 and ½ years old. Only child.

**Family Bonding**

First set of twins for Miroku/Sango- four years old. Mao oldest, Akemi second.

Second set of twins for M/S- two years old. Saki oldest, Wakana youngest.

Isamu- 6 years old K/I

Daichi- K/I second son. 4 years old

Masaru-Kagome pregnant with.

Katashi-Sango pregnant with. s

Kiku- not even conceived at the time. Only daughter. Youngest child

**Next First timeframe 6 years later**

First set of twins- ten years old

Second set of twins- 8 years old

Katashi- 6 years old

Isamu- 12 years old

Daichi- 10 years old

Masaru- 6 years old

Kiku- not conceived.

Manami- Rin pregnant with.

**Second timeframe five years later**

First set of twins- 15 years

Second set of twins- 13 years

Katashi- 11 years old

Isamu- 17 years

Daichi- 14 years old

Masaru- 11 years old

Kiku- 3 years old

Manami- 4 ½ years old


End file.
